Never Enter the Mansion
by The Lazy Italian Firecracker
Summary: California, America's little sister (who has an insane crush on France), steps foot into the mansion along with the Allies. Tragedy, loss, and (stupidly enough) heartbreak await her in that horrifying place. Hasn't anyone told her to never enter the mansion?
1. Chapter 1

Sealand and I sit in the corner of the room, being ignored. As usual. "Sealand, I envy you," I mutter. Sealand looks at me questioningly. "At least you're a country!" I whisper-yell. "I'm America's little sister, California! A _state_!" I ball my fists.

"Don't feel bad, California," Sealand says with a smile. "We're technically both in the same boat." I nod and sigh heavily.

"… I guess you're right. Oh, look! I think England wants to talk to you!" I point out. Sealand glances at England's frowning face, and then at me. "Go on!" I say. Sealand hesitantly stands up and walks over to England.

"How did a little brat like YOU get into the meeting?!" was all I heard from him. It's lucky that I'm America's younger sister, or I would be being treated worse than Sealand. I don't know why I ever even think that England will have something good to say to Sealand. I stand up and walk over to America, who is sitting alone.

"Hi, bro!" I say with a smile. America's face brightens when he sees me. He laughs and lifts me up onto his lap, and ruffles my hair.

"There's the little hero-in-training!" he says. I love my brother's bright attitude and fun personality. Of course, the only thing the other nations see in him is arrogance and how much crap he eats.

I'm my brother's pride and joy. I have Hollywood, which is what he boasts about most of the time, and I have a TON of beaches, which is another thing he likes to shove down people's throats. America's really proud of me, and I think the other nations don't mind me much either.

"So… Anything interesting happen?" I ask through a piece of gum. America shakes his head and sighs.

"Nope. The most interesting event that took place today was England kicking Germany in the crotch."

"Oh my God!" I gasp. "Are you serious?..."

"Yep," America says, smiling. "Germany's face was so red; we thought he was going to erupt like a volcano. Which, now that I think about it, would've been pretty frickin' epic." I laugh. Suddenly, I am pushed over by someone.

"AMERICA! AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA AMERICA!" Italy is bouncing off the walls with an ecstatic look on his face. Not in his eyes, of course, considering he never opens them. "I heard this CRAAAAZY rumor about this haunted old western-style house in the east! Can you tell everyone about it? Because I REEEEEAAALLLLLLY wanna go, but I'm too scared to do it alone! Please, America!" Italy wails. "Oh, hi, California," he adds with a grin after looking down where I am sprawled on the floor.

America looks into Italy's eyes (eyelashes?) with an adventurous and mischievous glint in his eyes. "Deal, dude." They shake on it. "Oh, and Italy?" America calls before the pasta-loving maniac is out of earshot. "Can I bring California with me?"

"Sure!" Italy yells on his way to talk with (invade the personal space of) Japan.

"So, whaddaya think, sis? You up for the challenge?" He looks away for a second, then turns around and yells, "BOO!" I jump slightly, which causes America to triumphantly laugh. "This is why I am epic," he says with a serious expression. We both burst out laughing.

"Definitely, bro. It's gonna be so fun!" I nearly squeal. Wiping off my shirt a bit, I head over to chat with France. He doesn't know, but I've had a crush on him forever. No one knows, really, except Sealand. He and I are best friends.

"Um… Hi, France." I smile shyly and rub the back of my neck self-consciously. Little does France know, my heart is thumping away. He tilts his head downward and looks into my green eyes. With my green eyes, long blond hair, and … 'prominent' eyebrows, I look almost exactly like England for some reason. Well, we are technically siblings, in a sense.

"Did you need something, California?" he asks. I can tell by his voice that he doesn't really care. He's never really liked anything to do with America.

"Um… Oh!" I yell out. I don't want to look like a fool, so I say the first thing that comes to mind. "America, Italy, Germany, Japan, Prussia and I are going to a supposedly haunted house out east. Do you want to come along?" I feel my face turn bright red. France looks at my growing blush. He suddenly leans in close to my face.

"I would love to, _mademoiselle_," he says flirtatiously. I am so stunned that I can barely say "awesome" in reply. I quickly dash away to Sealand, who has been sulking in the corner for a while now.

"_Sealand_!" I hiss. Sealand and I both duck silently under a table.

"What is it, California?" Sealand asks. He looks at me confusedly.

"I think…" I start, "France was flirting with me." Sealand smiles encouragingly at me. "I'm not so sure about it, though…" I add quietly. Sealand looks confused.

"But, haven't you liked France forever? What are you not sure about?" he asks in disbelief.

"Well, he seemed like he didn't care that I was even standing there until I blushed." I sigh heavily. Sealand takes my hand.

"At least he'll pay attention to you," Sealand says. I nod, as if to say, "You're right." Suddenly, I jump up and smack my head on the table.

"Is there someone down there?" Russia's kind voice reaches my ears. I quickly scramble away. Russia scares me a little bit.

"I have to get going!" I whisper. I clamber out from under the table, bid a quick farewell to Sealand, grab my sweatshirt, and run to catch up to the others.

Once I can see the faint outlines of men, I notice that there are three extra people in the group. After jogging to get a better look, I see China, England, and Russia. 'America must've told them, too,' I think. "Hiiiiiiiii…" I say, sneaking up on America.

"EEEKKK!" he shrieks, jumping a mile into the air. England, France, and I are doubled over laughing, while Russia just smiles that creepy smile and China moves forward without batting an eyelash. America glares at me. "You just…caught me off guard, is all." I poke him in the stomach.

"Yeah, right," I reply. England pats my back and grins. France moves beside me and slips his hand into mine. I freeze for a second, but keep moving quickly. 'This is a dream come true,' I think with a dreamy smile on my face. 'France likes me, I just scared America and we're venturing into a haunted house! What could make this day better?' We pause in front of a huge house. The large door is intricate and beautiful. I let go of France's hand and walk up to the door. I run my hand along the front, and then grasp the doorknob. "Ready?" I ask. Everyone nods, and I almost open the door. I stop when I hear a cell phone ring.

"Sorry, guys, that's me," China calls. He opens up his phone and puts it to his ear. "Okay… Yeah." He hangs up. "It was Japan. They're still at the meeting room, but they'll be here quickly," China quickly explains. "Ready." China nods towards me.

I firmly grip the doorknob, and slowly turn it. I walk inside.

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**A/N: Okay, so I'm home sick today. I wrote this while listening to France sing 'Marukaite Chikyuu'. XD I hope you like it, and I'll be starting the second chapter right away!**

**Rose :)** _By the way, if you think that California is a Mary-Sue, alert me in any way possible! And the plotline will differ from HetaOni._


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except California.**

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I take a look around as the others shove their way through the large doorway. Once China steps in, America immediately starts to move forward. I hear large footsteps in the distance, but just brush it off as the large group I came with. "Now," America shouts, eyes ablaze, "I will lead the exploration of this stupid, creepy house!" He turns around to face us. "So, you guys too chicken to follow the hero?" he taunts, laughing. None of us reply. We are all too shocked to speak. "What…" America slowly turns around.

I shriek as the THING advances on my older brother. "America!" I scream out. France holds me back as I try to run to his rescue. America, not missing a beat, whips out a hand gun and begins to open fire. I stare, open mouthed, as the THING isn't wounded a bit at the shots. It suddenly swipes a gray hand at America. He slams against the wall and looks unconscious. "NO!" I cry. I finally resort to biting France's arm, causing him to yell out and let go. I run to America and fall down next to him. "Are you okay?!" I frantically ask, feeling for a pulse. Thankfully, America is breathing and doesn't seem to be too injured. The Oni turns around to face England, China, Russia, and France. France lets a little squeak escape his mouth before slowly trying to back away from the THING.

"HEEELP!" England cries as he is shoved into a corner by his other retreating friends. France tries in vain to squeeze next to England. The THING is advancing on them.

"FRANCE!" I scream. I run over and kick the THING right in its crack. It leaps back and flees, but steps on America's unconscious body. "NO!" I can see the red liquid soaking America's clothing from where I am standing. I run over to my brother as fast as I can and kneel down next to him.

"You just need to be bandaged, is all…" I frantically mutter through tears. America opens his eyes and smiles up at me.

"It won't help…" he hoarsely whispers. I sob loudly and grab his arm. I begin to take off my sweatshirt and try to wrap it around the wound, but it is soon soaked with blood. "Listen, Cali." I blink; America hasn't called me that in years. "Make sure you all make it out alive. Now, as the hero I am, I command you to set out to stop this THING!" he says weakly, letting out a short laugh. It leads to him coughing up blood. "Hero-in-training, I believe in you…" His chest stops moving and his eyes are devoid of life.

"_No_…" I whisper, silently crying. "AMERICA!" I sob, clinging to his shirt. France and England step up behind me. I can tell that they are crying, too. I almost hear England whisper America's name.

"Let's go." China puts his hand on my shoulder. "I know this is tragic, but we need to stay away from that beast." I sniff and nod, unable to get America's last words out of my head. I stand up and attempt to carry America over my shoulder. I want to keep him somewhere nice. However, I cannot lift him up.

I hear Russia. "I'll carry him…Cali." I am shocked, but for some reason elated when he uses my childhood nickname. Russia walks over and gently lays America over his shoulder. I smile at Russia in thanks. I don't think I'll ever shake off the feeling that I felt just seconds ago looking into the eyes of my dead brother.

We explore the mansion, but discover that most everything is locked. Finally, we find a room that isn't blocked. I motion for Russia to stay behind. "You won't be able to fight well holding America," I reason. Russia agrees, but lends me his metal pipe for a weapon.

"Keep it," he says kindly. I give him an almost heartfelt smile and slowly enter the room with France, England, and China.

The room seems to be some sort of library. There is a table in the corner of the room with a world map and a book on it. I am about to go investigate the book and map when France grabs my arm. "The THING," he whispers, "is behind the shelf. Let's leave _now_." I tear away from his grasp harshly and walk silently over to the table. Leafing through the book, I discover a key. I run back to England, China and France and show them the key.

"Good job," England whispers with a smile. France looks angry, and I apologize with my eyes. He nods and takes my hand.

"Now let's go." We walk to the door and England tries to open it. However, it is firmly shut. "It must have locked when we walked in," China whispers. I get on my tip toes and look over the bookshelf. The 'Oni', as I'll refer to it (Japan taught me that it's Japanese for troll), was walking back and forth by there. But after scanning the floor there a little more attentively, I spot a shiny key in the very corner.

"The Oni has the key," I murmur out of the corner of my mouth. "I'll distract it, and you all run for the key." China looks at me and nods. France does the same and gets ready. However, England looks appalled by the idea.

"I'll have your back, California," he mutters my way. "You are my younger sister." I smile at him and feel extremely grateful towards England. 'Thanks, bro,' I mouth to him. Even though it's obvious that America's death is still fresh in his mind, he's assisting me. I love England.

I run over to the bookshelf and tear down a couple of books. They slam onto the floor and break the eerie silence. The Oni runs out from behind the longer bookshelf and immediately tries to attack me. England shoves me out of the way and attacks the Oni. I see China and France dash behind the bookshelf out of the corner of my eye, and when China waves the key, we retreat. Thankfully, no one is injured.

Russia is still holding America. I quickly show him the key I found. The key is labeled with the door it unlocks. We quickly make our way to the room it unlocks. I insert the key and open the door, to see a nice room with two large beds, a fireplace, and a huge table with lots of chairs. I reluctantly reach into America's pocket and pull out his lighter. After lighting the fire, I face the others. "So," I say, "we'll take turns keeping watch. Bubblegum for it?" The others look confused. After quickly explaining the game, we play and England comes in last. I take a bed with Russia, and China and France share the other bed. England sits down at the table. America lies next to my bed.

I can hear Russia snore softly and France mumbles. I am able to make out "Cali" between all the gibberish. I blush when I hear it. 'Does France really like me, then?' I wonder. 'He doesn't seem like the type of guy to just stick with one girlfriend…' I shrug, and accidentally bump Russia. 'Well, he is insanely cute, so I guess I'll just take advantage of it while it lasts!' I finally fall asleep, only to be jolted awake seconds later by England.

"Will you take a double shift?" he asks. I nod.

"Why?" I ask. We had enough people for about two hours each, and that was good enough, in my opinion. "But yeah," I add.

"France wants to take a shift with you," England explains. "I find that you're more attentive than him; it's not that I want to take away your sleep." I am elated by the thought. England must be able to tell, because he raises an eyebrow at me. "California?" he asks seriously. I nod. "Do you…"like" France?"

I am thrown off guard by his question, but still answer. "Yes. I do, and I always will. But you don't have to refer to it as "like". It's more like love." England is surprised.

"Well…" England shakes his head. "You go out and take your shift. France will be with you." I get out of bed and stretch for a second. I walk over and sit down next to France.

"Hello, California," France says, smiling at me. He moves to put his hand on top of mine, but I move it away at the last second.

"France." My face is completely serious. "If we were faced by the Oni, and only one of us would survive, what would you do? Save yourself or save me?"

France suddenly looks anxious, which infuriates me. "W-what would you do?" he counters, obviously trying to avoid answering.

"I'd save you, of course," I reply in a heartbeat. China twitches. "You're handsome, flattering, kind, have beautiful eyes, witty, clever, and you have the most amazing personality I've ever seen in anyone." I pause. "Now that America is gone…you are the most important person in my life." France stares at me open mouthed. "I want a response, France," I demand. Little thumping sounds can be heard, but I pass it off as the guys sleeping.

"I never knew you felt that strongly about me…" France mutters, his voice trailing off. "I would save you. California, I will try with all my might to protect you." He moves to put his hand in mine, and I let him.

"Same here, Francy-pants." We lean in. Our lips are about to meet when China leaps up out of his bed and whips out a sword. France and I leap up and we both whip out our weapons. The door suddenly busts open, and a shadowy figure runs in.

"Who are you?! ANSWER!" China forcefully demands. He prods the figure with the tip of his sword.

"Hey, hey, hey!" the person reasons. Their annoying voice is immediately recognizable.

"Prussia!" I yell out. I run up and hug him tightly. He looks immensely shocked. "Are you okay?! Did anyone else come here with you?!" I have so many questions.

"What do you mean 'am I okay?'? I'm the awesome Prussia! Why wouldn't I be?" He laughs.

China's expression is grim. "So you haven't seen the THING." Prussia is confused, so we quickly fill him in.

"Has anyone died?" Prussia asks worriedly. Tears build up at the corners of my eyes and fight to come pouring out. I finally start to cry and run over to America. I can hear China inform Prussia. "America…" Prussia's voice trails off.

"So, Prussia, did you arrive with others?" China questions. I stand up slowly and return to the others.

"Japan, Italy, and West…" He pauses. "I need to get back to them, then!" He goes running out the door.

"I'm going with him!" I say, rushing out the door. China follows.

"France." China faces him. "Watch the others, and tell them where we are." France tries to protest, but China shushes him. "Just do it. We'll all be fine." France sighs and nods. China continues out to follow Prussia and I.

"So," he says, "where did you leave them?" Prussia seems to be thinking.

"I told them I wanted to look around… I think Germany built a little stronghold," Prussia replies. "I'll take you there!" He grabs China's hand and begins to run. I sprint behind them; I am surprised by how fast Prussia is. After going up a floor, we find an unlocked door. Prussia enters, and we immediately see an iron door. "I'm impressed with West," Prussia mutters. "Anyways, come on!" China knocks on the door.

"It's China. I'm here with Prussia and California." Germany slowly opens the door. His face brightens when he sees Prussia and China, but he frowns when he spots me.

"Come in," he gruffly says. We squeeze through the cramped doorway and are all shocked to see an intricate stairway. We walk up and are even more impressed by what we see.

The monstrous room has beds, food, and a bathroom in progress. There is a full kitchen with running water, and a huge table. I gape in awe at the amazing room's size and contents. "How did you do this, Germany?" Prussia asks in awe.

"Most of it was already finished, but I started a bathroom." Germany seems oddly bashful. I walk over to a bed and push my hand into the mattress. "Don't touch anything," Germany snaps. He's never been fond of children.

I walk back over. "Germany?" I ask. "Where's the last place you saw Japan and Italy?"

"I asked Japan to get some water, and I don't know where Italy is." I suddenly feel a panicky knot forming in my stomach. "Why?" Germany seems confused.

We all explain, and China takes on the job of telling him about America. Germany is extremely upset, but doesn't cry. "We need to find Italy and Japan at once," Germany orders. "Japan should be on the ground floor, and I am unsure of Italy's location. Find them quickly."

I nod. "We will, Germany. We will find them." I manage to smile, but I know it is sincere though I struggle to show it. Germany gives me a small half smile.

"Good luck, heroes." And that's when I am slapped by the Oni.

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**A/N: Way too early for America to die, I know... But there won't be any death for a long time now! Please review, and enjoy!**

**Rose :)** _Again, if you think that California is a Mary-Sue, please tell me! :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but California.**

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I cry out in pain as I smash the wall and see America do the exact same thing in my mind. I struggle to stay conscious, but it becomes harder and harder to keep my eyes open, and I finally slip away. The last thing I see is China leaping up and smacking the Oni. "Good luck, guys," I faintly whisper as I fall unconscious.

When I regain consciousness, the first thing I see is Germany's eyes. Their blue color, though not very similar to America, reminds me of America's blue eyes, and it both soothes me and saddens me. "Is everyone okay?!" I frantically ask, leaning upwards and smacking Germany's face. "Sorry," I say, blushing. China sits at my bedside and scrutinizes my face.

"Are you hurt?" he asks with concern in his voice. I shake my head and attempt to get out of bed, but China pushes me back down. "You're not going anywhere until we're sure you're okay." Prussia and Germany are talking behind China.

"The more important question is, are you okay?!" I look into China's eyes. "I saw you go to attack the Oni. Did he injure you or anyone else?!" I ask. China shakes his head.

"We're all fine." I sigh in relief. Germany walks out of the room with tools. "Germany's going to reinforce the door," China explains. "Do you think we should return to the others?" I nod and get out of bed. My knee really hurts, and I find that I can barely stand. I must have hit it on something. China lets me put my arm around him for support. We make our way back to the room where everyone was, while Prussia and Germany stay at the stronghold. We both walk into the room, to find none of the people we arrived with in there.

Instead, China and I find Italy and Japan sleeping in the beds. Japan's clothes are in the fireplace, and are covered with something red. China looks at them for a moment and then rushes over to Japan. He first checks for a pulse, and looks extremely relieved when he sees that Japan is okay. He then rips off the bedspread, to see that Japan is not bleeding and is completely okay. Japan immediately wakes up, and grabs the covers away from China. Surprisingly calm, he asks, "What are you doing, China?" China, not even bothering to answer, tells Japan about the Oni. Japan is shocked, and upset when he finds out about America.

"Is Germany okay?" I jump; I had presumed that Italy was asleep. He turns around and opens his eyes to stare at China. "Please tell me Germany's okay." He looks extremely worried.

"We just saw Germany," China reassures. "He's with Prussia, and he isn't injured in any way." Italy exhales a sigh of relief. "Did you two see England, Russia, and France?"

Italy answers. "We saw them run out of the room, and we just ignored them. They must have been running…from the Oni…" Italy pauses. "I'm sure they're okay. They must have weapons. Anyways, you've escaped the Oni twice." I'm worried sick.

"Oh my–!" I attempt to stand up, but just end up collapsing. "I need to find France!" China helps me stand up. "Thanks," I say.

"You can't run off like that if you're injured. Italy will help you walk, and Japan and I will stay in front of you two. Is that understood?" Italy, Japan and I nod. "Good. Would you like to head out?"

"Um… I went to sleep unclothed, because Italy needed something to start the fire, because the wood wasn't good. May I please pull on my extra clothes?" Japan is blushing. We all look away as Japan dresses. Once Japan is ready, we all leave the room and follow Japan, who remembers where the others ran. "It was right around this corner," he says. While we are walking, I notice that Italy seems annoyed with me for slowing him down.

"Sorry, Italy," I murmur. Italy looks at me in surprise, and smiles his adorable little smile, seemingly saying 'It's okay!' I am shocked that I suddenly feel almost…happy about the situation I'm in. I've never been this close to any of the nations. It makes me feel like one of them.

Italy suddenly stops, causing me to freeze as well. I watch as Japan walks over to France, Russia, and England. Nobody seems to be injured, fortunately. Russia smiles that a-little-less-creepy-but-still-creepy smile, England sighs in relief, and France looks extremely frightened by everything. I cannot stand looking at all of them from a distance; I have to see if they are all right. I let go of Italy and attempt to limp over to the three guys. I trip and land on my knee, and bite down on my tongue to keep from screaming due to the extreme searing my knee. I am sitting in front of them. "Guys!" I exclaim. "I was so worried!" I wrap everyone in an awkward hug. France shudders heavily when I touch his arm. I immediately let go and turn to England. "What happened?"

"The Oni attacked us, and apparently it has some sort of weird power to make people see horrible things… That happened to France, and Russia and I couldn't get him to talk…" I stare at England for a second, and then turn to France. He just sits and stares directly ahead, and I notice that he's crying.

"Italy, go." Italy seems shocked by my words. "Please, you can't be here right now." He solemnly nods his head and walks around the corner. I lean towards France and wrap my arms around him. "Whatever you saw didn't happen," I whisper. I attempt to sound soothing, but the knot in my throat makes my voice crack. I stroke his hair. "It was just the Oni… Nothing bad happened, everyone's okay…" I sit there for what feels like hours, whispering to France. I feel him hug me back. "France?!" I am so happy.

"Thank you, California." I blush when France kisses my cheek. I'm crying, so I hastily wipe my tears away and lean away from France. China helps me up, and we move on with the whole group.

"Oh!" I yell out. Russia turns around to look at me. "Germany and Prussia! We should go meet up with them, China!" China nods and we turn around to go to Germany's stronghold.

When I look at the metal door, I notice that it is even stronger than before. 'That's good,' I think. Russia knocks on the door.

"Hello Germany and Prussia. It's Russia, France, England, China, Italy, Japan, and California." Germany hesitantly opens the door, and his face brightens when he sees Japan and Italy.

I sit down at the large table. Everyone sits down as well. "So," Japan says, "what are we going to do about this?..." None of us have an answer. "I think that we should just stay up here, now that we are all together. I don't want to risk losing anyone." We all nod in agreement.

"Who's hungry?" France asks. "I'll make something." England stands up.

"I'll help, France –"

"NO!" I laugh at how frightened Italy sounds. "Your food tastes like crap served on a plate!" Now, the whole table is laughing with joy. England sits down, defeated, and Russia pats his back comfortingly.

France finishes the food and puts it out on the table. Everyone starts eating, except for me. "What's the matter, California? Aren't you hungry?" China asks. I shake my head and smile. "Really, you should eat something." I shrug, grab an apple, and begin to eat. France looks slightly offended by the fact that I don't want to eat his food.

"It's not that I don't like it," I explain. "I think your food tastes phenomenal. It's just that I'm not very hungry, and I know when I start eating your food, it's hard to stop for anyone." I smile at France and painfully limp down to the stairway that leads to the room. I sit down on the first step and keep eating. 'I really feel like we're missing someone…' I think. I hear footstep nearing the door. I leap up and grab my metal pipe. Someone or something begins to pound on the door. I raise my weapon and open the door a crack. I am on my butt, though, so I don't look at all intimidating. I am about to swing my weapon when I hear a small voice.

"Please don't hurt me!" I look straight ahead of me. All I see is a bear. I almost see a man standing next to it, but just barely.

"Who are you?" the bear asks the transparent figure.

"I'm Canada." I laugh; of course I'd forgotten Canada! I smile at him and take him up to our room, after asking for his help getting back up the stairs and to the table. Everyone is pleased to see him.

"When did you walk into the house, Canada?" Italy asks.

"Um… I came in with you," Canada replies confusedly. "Didn't you see me?"

Italy blushes. "… Oh." Canada sits down at an empty chair. "Have you seen it yet?" Italy anxiously asks. Everyone looks at Canada.

Canada nods and frowns. "Yes… It looked like Tony. But it can't be…" He looks over to his right and sees the beds. He spots America in one of them. "Oh! Is America sleeping?" Everyone gives each other anxious glances, while I get up and put my arm around Canada. "What…" That's what America said before the Oni attacked him. "No…" Tears well up behind Canada's glasses.

"Canada…" I say slowly, fighting the urge to cry. "America's not sleeping."

"No!" Canada runs over to America and clings to his bedspread. I struggle trying not to trip. "How did this… America…" He's crying and I have to hastily brush tears away as well. "It was the THING, wasn't it?" I nod.

"It was…horrible," I whisper. I reach out and hold Canada's hand. We stand there, staring at America, for a long time. The whole room is silent. I break the silence. "We need to kill the Oni," I say shakily. I repeat my sentence more confidently. "We need to kill the Oni." Everyone looks at me as if I'm insane.

"How are we supposed to do that?!" Prussia yells. "You saw how powerful it was; you were unconscious after a single hit!" I nod.

"We can do it, however, if we work together. Somehow, we'll do it. I'd rather die than see the Oni kill anyone else. We need to do it." I inhale, a shaky, afraid inhale. "For America."

"We could all be killed." China tries to reason with me. "It's better to stay up here than to wander around –"

"Is it, really?" Germany stands up. "The Oni already got in here once; who's to say he won't do it again? It's safer to find different safe places, but spend most of our time here." China opens his mouth to respond, but says nothing.

"I agree with California," England says, standing up. France, Germany, and Canada follow suit.

"We can't let anyone else die." Italy stands up next to China. He is joined by Prussia and Mr. Komijiro.

"Mr. Komijiro!" Canada yells. Mr. Komijiro opens his mouth. "And yes, I'm CANADA!" Mr. Komijiro shoots an adorably nasty glare at Canada, who shrinks back.

"It's up to Russia," England says. "If he chooses China, we stay. If he chooses California and Canada, we go." Everyone stares intently at Russia, silently begging him to choose their way.

"I say we…" Russia's eyes glow maniacally and a purple aura surrounds him for a split second. "Kill the Oni."

"Thank you, Russia!" I say in exasperation, hopping on one foot over to him. "You actually agreed with me? You can't be too creepy, after all!" I smile and pat his shoulder. France just stares at Russia in fear without saying a word. The others are frightened by Russia's malicious attitude as well.

"So… What do we do now?" Prussia asks. "Now that we know we'll be hunting the Oni, should we head right out or stay here and wait for the night?" None of us really know.

"If I do not get my way with hunting the Oni, then I get my way here," China stubbornly says, crossing his arms. "We're staying here for the night and that's final." Everyone nods and heads off to a bed, but England walks up to China.

"It's not night time!" he demands. "It's only noon!" He shoves his watch into China's face.

"Weird…" China mutters. "My watch says it's ten at night." Everyone looks down at their watches or phones.

"Why are all of the times different?" Canada wonders aloud. France shrugs and lifts up his arm to look.

"All I know is that it's five in the morning," he says. Everyone begins to argue over what time it is, and whose watch is right. All I care about is getting some sleep so we are all well-rested in the morning. However, I find that I am not the only annoyed person in the room.

"BE QUIET, ALL OF YOU!" Germany screams out. Everyone is silenced immediately by his huge roar. "We'll just go to bed now, and not care about what your watch says. Set it to ten at night, and GET OVER IT!" Everyone hurriedly nods and resets their watches. The guys all scramble to get a bed.

In the end, Canada, China and I are left without beds. China pulls blankets out of a closet next to the bathroom door and steals Mr. Komijiro's two pillows, while I ask for one of France's. He gives it to me, and we all sleep peacefully.

At about one in the morning, there is a huge pounding noise coming from downstairs. I, being the only person awake (I don't sleep well on floors), pull out the pipe and slowly venture down the stairs. The noise is terrifyingly loud, and I find that I am shivering. 'If it's the Oni,' I think with a grim expression, 'then I'll just have to be the hero and kill it!' I tear open the door and swing down as hard as I can with my weapon. I hear a small shriek and look down. "Tony!" I yell. He had dodged the attack and was now clinging to my leg. "Come on in, Tony," I whisper, going back up the stairs and getting under my blanket. Tony lies on top of the blanket next to me. I sleep peacefully that night, knowing that I have another friend with me.

When everybody is up, I tell them that Tony arrived last night. "Great hearing, California," China comments. We all sit down and plan out what we should do we go outside and look for the Oni.

"The toilets sell stuff," Germany says. "Like beers and onigiri." I stare at him in disgust. "Hey, it raises our health!" he growls, clearly angry. I decide to look away.

"We can get those, and maybe practice with each other in spare time." Japan nods in agreement. "So, are we all ready to head out?" I ask.

"Definitely," everyone choruses.

"Then let's roll, heroes."

We all walk out of the door together. The second I step outside our safe haven, I raise my weapon protectively. No one is going to die on my watch. China and I are standing together, because Italy wanted to use the 'buddy system'. Everyone has a partner. I would've needed a partner, anyways. Stupid knee.

We all walk to where the front door is. Germany and Prussia both try to break it down, but it's no use. That door won't be opening unless we find a key for it. We continue on and check all the hallways. After a while, we find a new room. It has a piano, and a couple bookshelves. England goes through the bookshelves and Canada studies the piano. After looking under the top, he discovers a piece of paper. It has red, yellow, blue, and green rectangles on it. After studying it more intently, he begins to play around with the piano. "Aha!" Canada yells out triumphantly. "I did it!"

Everyone looks over at Canada. "What did you figure out?" France asks. Canada is about to show us, when we all hear a large noise. "Oh no…" France mutters. He pulls out his sword and runs over to me. I hold the metal pipe up menacingly.

The Oni bursts through the door. France runs and slices it with his sword. It starts to bleed, but doesn't at all pause. It continues on to Canada, who is frozen in fear. When the Oni is a centimeter away from him, he shrieks and pours maple syrup all over the Oni and its wound. It lets out an inhuman cry of pain, and blindly thrashes about. Japan's body smacks the wall, and a horrible feeling of dread fills me as I look at his body. I'm relieved that China starts to run over to Japan's aid, so I am forced to follow him. "Japan?" China says. He repeats his name over and over again. Finally, Japan's eyes open. "Oh, you're okay," China whispers in relief. He hugs Japan, who clings to China tightly.

"If I don't make it out–" Japan started. China interrupted him.

"That won't happen."

"Let me finish. If I don't make it out, then know that you've been the greatest big brother in the world." China smiles down at his brother and begins to help him stand up. I take Japan's hand and also assist him. He is a bit wobbly on his feet, so he leans against China's chest for support. Suddenly, China staggers. Japan takes his hand away from China's chest, and sees blood.

China falls over and I look over the wound. Thankfully, it isn't big, and my overshirt easily bandages the wound. I wrap him up quickly and call Russia over to carry him. Russia agrees and we all flee the room. I do, however, stab the Oni right in the stomach before leaving. It screeches and vanishes.

We don't stop until we're at the stronghold. Russia lays China down on a bed and covers him up. I begin to sob and run over to the corner of the room. "I'M SORRY!" I scream through my tears. "Send me outside and give me up to the Oni! All I'm doing is injuring people! My ideas are just going to get us killed. So just get me killed already!" I'm crying harder than I ever have. "I'm sorry, China. I'm sorry, America. Just abandon me and you'll be better off." The room is silent, other than me crying. I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder.

It's France. "California, I know exactly why you wanted to go outside and kill the Oni." He turns me around. "It's not your fault. No one knew that China was going to end up injured. And America's death is anything but your doing." France pauses. "You did set out the rails. We all decided to walk on them." I look at France and wipe my eyes. France lowers his voice. "I love you, California."

I throw my arms around France and find myself smiling through my tears. I stagger over to China and kiss his forehead. I do the same to America. "Thanks, bro," I whisper.

I hug England, Germany, Russia, everyone. We all sit down at the table in silence. I speak. "So, want some beer from the toilet?" Everyone laughs and I smile. These are truly amazing friends.

* * *

**A/N: ...Well then. *coughs* That was way longer than I thought it would be. I did say that no one would die, but I never said it wouldn't be filled with angst... Anyways, I hope you enjoyed, and please review!**

**Rose :) **_Okay. California+Mary-Sue=Please alert me :)_


	4. Chapter 4

We stay in the stronghold for the rest of the night. We all joke, drink (I did it to raise my health and that only), and hang out. We have an amazing night together. I feel safe for the first time ever since we entered this mansion. China has slept all day, so we leave him to rest. Finally, it is ten a clock, so we call it a night and go to sleep. Tonight, I get to sleep in a bed next to China's. I just lay awake, staring at China. He looks serious, even in his sleep. Sometimes, I feel like everyone overworks him…

The whole room is quiet. The only sounds are Tony making small noises, Russia snoring, and France mumbling. I guess that's normal. My eyelids start to droop, and I finally fall asleep. A scream jolts me awake. "JAPAN!" It's China.

I jump out of bed and hug China. "China, Japan's okay…" I whisper. "He's sleeping by the wall. See?" I point out Japan's bed. China slowly nods. "You were…stabbed by someone." I still don't know how it had happened. It couldn't have been the Oni's bare hands, so it was either that the Oni got hold of a weapon or that someone…working with us stabbed him. "You've been sleeping for about five hours," I say. "You only missed an epic party, where everyone was drunk!"

"Thank God I missed it," China mutters. I laugh.

"I'm glad you're okay, China…and I'm sorry. If I had never said that we should go and kill the Oni, then this wouldn't have ever happened." I inhale, and let the air out. "I'm so sorry, China." China takes my hand. "Do you want to go back to sleep?"

"Yes," he sighs. I sit at his bedside and stay there until he is sound asleep. I brush his hair out of his eyes, and stare at him. He always looks so serious, as I said before. He really needs to loosen up. His eyes, as I just realized, are really beautiful. Their rich brown color is enthralling.

'Just for the night, I forget about France...' I lean down and kiss China's lips. His eyes flutter open immediately and he looks shocked. I let my eyes close and I kiss China sweetly. China begins to kiss back. Delighted, I wrap my arms around China, avoiding his wound. When I tear myself away, China is smiling in shock. He puts a hand up and touches my hair sweetly. I smile at him, not a thought of France going through my mind.

France… My eyes widen and I push myself away from China. His eyes widen and he bites his lip. "What? Did I do something?" he asks worriedly. "If I did, I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry…" I silence him. I shake my head and smile weakly at him. "…It's my age, isn't it?" he mutters. My eyebrows go up in surprise at how upset his voice sounds. "I didn't think you would care, California. I've…loved you and never told you. I knew America wouldn't very much like it, and that Japan would look at me weirdly forever. But, I still loved you, and I do now. I thought my age wouldn't matter to you, California. I thought you would see past that. I guess I was wrong." His eyes are filled with tears and he's sniffing. I'm numb inside. China loves me?... I'm confused, and happy, and everything in between. Wait… China loves me. I can tell from his voice that this isn't a lie. Unlike France, who I'm still not completely trustworthy of, China's certainty is definite. I lean down and kiss China's forehead.

"China… I love you too."

* * *

The next day, I continuously look over at France. I feel guilty. Well, we never kissed, and China and I did, so I guess we're the official couple? It's all so confusing. My knee has healed overnight and I can walk perfectly fine. Prussia is our commander for the day. "Alright," he says. "As much as I want to avoid death, it's necessary for us to leave this safe haven if we want to escape. We'll need people to go try and find the key to the front door. How do you want me to choose?" Everyone is silent.

"Choose who you think will have a better chance of surviving, obviously," England pipes up. Prussia throws a quick glare England's way and turns to all the others.

"Alright… Germany, you come. Italy and Japan, you too. Canada, Russia, California, you're all joining me." My eyes widen and I slowly step up to Prussia. I glance at China, who's holding in his breath. 'I'll be okay,' I mouth to him. He slowly nods and smiles weakly. I return the smile, though it is as afraid as his. "We'll be heading out now," Prussia states as he heads to the door. "Wish us luck."

"Consider your luck wished," England replies. I walk out the door, and the last thing I see before I am stuck outside with the group is France getting up and moving towards China.

I glance around every corner, in fear of being face to face with the Oni. I hold Italy's hand, as he seems afraid and I figure that the two must scared members of our party should stick together. Prussia, playing the role of our fearless leader, jumps every time someone takes a step. Russia eventually gets tired of watching it and shoves Prussia away, and we have a new fearless leader. I roll my eyes, and my fear fades for a moment. Aaaand, it's back.

I cling to Italy's arm. "Italy?" I say. He looks at me. "Should we go to the library in here?" His eyes widen and he looks at me like I'm insane. "I know I'm crazy, but it's just that I feel like there must be some other people that went through this mansion and made it out alive. They might have written something!" Italy slowly nods, and motions for me to follow him over to Germany.

"Hey, Germany?" he quietly asks. "Can we go look for evidence in the library?" Germany nods his head.

"We were just going to go split up, anyhow. Good luck, you two," he calls. I smile halfheartedly at Germany's fading figure as Italy and I dash away. After a minute of running up stairs, we arrive in the library.

"So… Where should we start?" I ask unsurely. There are about eight or so shelves, and I don't think we'll be able to get through all of them. I jog over to the third one. "How about here?" I suggest. Italy shrugs and follows me.

"Hm…" Italy mutters, looking through countless books. There's nothing of much interest anywhere. "Darn it all… Hey!" He pulls a book out of the middle shelf. I look over the cover.

"Is that a Bible?" I ask. He opens it up and we find that it's a journal. I flip to the back cover. _Please write your name on the line:_. The rest is unreadable print that seems to be scribbled out. Italy and I exchange a quick glance, and I pull out a pen.

_Italy Veneziano and California Angeles._

* * *

No one is harmed. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that everyone is all together, and Italy fidgets with his pocket. He decided to hold on to the journal. We walk silently, heading towards the stronghold. Prussia jokes around with us, laughing and smiling. It lessens my fear and I find myself…singing with Prussia? Well, it's fun, and we go through about fifty songs in tons of different languages. Sighing, I reach up and knock on the door. To my surprise, no one gets it. I knock again and softly call out, "France? China, England?" There is no reply. Germany and Prussia step up. After they break the door open (which is exceptionally hard), we go inside. I immediately scream.

There is blood everywhere. Covering the walls, the floor, and the…people. I run over to China's bed and begin to cry. He's cut up horribly. His arm has a huge gash in it so far down I can nearly fool myself into seeing the bone. His torso is covered with blood. And worst of all is his face. It's covered with cuts everywhere, one by his eye, one near his mouth… It's just sickening. I grab a towel and attempt to dab at the wounds, but fail miserably at doing it painlessly. China screams out, scaring me so badly that I stop breathing for a second. "China…" I whisper through a knot in my throat. "It's California. I'm only trying to help." I try to clean up the cuts, but I don't think what I do is sufficient.

I look over to the other side of the room and gasp. England is lying in Canada's arms, and he's hurt, though not as badly. I leave China for a moment and run over to him. "California…" England weakly whispers. "I'll cast a spell so that everyone will be healed, but I won't be able to make it if I do. I'm already injured enough as it is. Okay? You can't stop me." His face is completely serious.

"Just please remember that all of us love you." I hold his hand tightly in mine.

England smiles at me and chokes out, loud enough for everyone to hear him, "I love all of you." He then closes his eyes, face hard with concentration, and he mutters a spell. There is a loud 'crack', and England's body loosens in Canada's arms.

"England…" Canada whispers. "Nooo…" I hug Canada just as I did when he found out about America's death. The people closest to Canada and I seem to die first… I kiss England's forehead and stand up. I want to look away from his body. I walk over to China.

"C-china!" I exclaim. He's completely healed, from his arm to his face. I wrap my arms around him and sigh in relief, but begin crying a mere second after. He strokes my back and wipes away the tears in his own eyes. "China…" I murmur. "England's dead…" I hold him tighter. China strokes my hair and brings me onto his lap.

"California," he whispers. "Stay with me…please… I'll protect you." He's crying as well, which surprises me. He was unaffected by America's death. Why is he crying now that England is gone? "My sweet Cali…" he whispers. I bury my face in the crook of his neck. I never want to part from him. He is the only person who makes me feel completely safe. I want to stay with him forever.

"Yes…China…" I fall asleep in his warm embrace.

* * *

I wake up late the next morning, but China still sleeps peacefully. I had thrashed and turned the night before, nightmares of England, and more so America, dying before my eyes. China held me tightly and calmed me through the night. I blink and look closely at China's face. Somehow, throughout all this torture, China's face manages to seem happy when he is in slumber's grasp. I envy him. Ha… I remember when I said that to Sealand, what seemed like many months ago. He is but a mere memory to me, now. I have more pressing matters on my hands. Trapped in a cursed mansion with an Oni and a bunch of men… More pressing indeed.

I stroke China's face. It is so soft… I laugh, wondering what Sealand would say if he found out about China and I. _"But, isn't he about 4,000 years old?!" _And I'd reply with, _"Maybe, but that just means he has more experience." _We'd laugh and laugh, until our sides hurt and England would scold us for being too loud. England… Sealand… No. I just need to think about happy things. Like how I'm with China now! And how we'll escape! Yes… We'll escape.

We have to.

* * *

**Anyone heard the ending song to Kuroshitsuji 2, called _Bird_? Well, that's what I listened to while writing this. If you're wondering why it feels so depressing. (To me, at least.)**

**Anyhow, any review is appreciated! Thank you for taking the time to read!**

**Rose :) **_I think you get the point. :)_


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